Information Commissioner Professor John McMillan has recommended that agencies double some freedom of information charges and apply new fees to requests.

The Gillard government abolished the $30 application fee and reduced charges 1½ years ago when it overhauled the FoI Act to encourage greater access to its information.

The changes sparked a surge in requests for documents and a significant rise in costs for the bureaucracy.

Government agencies spent $36 million administering the act in 2010-11, up 32 per cent on the previous year, but recouped just 2 per cent of the money through charges. Professor McMillan said big businesses in particular had taken advantage of the changes.

''It's been law firms using [FoI] as an alternative to discovery, large corporations that are in a regulatory battle with government, and individuals who have a particular grievance with an agency.''

Several government agencies wrote to Professor McMillan to express concerns about rising costs.

The Climate Change Department said one applicant had submitted 700 FoI requests in just five months.

Treasury said budget cuts had compounded the problem.

''While it is not reasonable to expect [an] FoI applicant to bear the full cost of processing a request, we note that the government is currently facing considerable fiscal constraints,'' it said.

Professor McMillan's report, issued yesterday, recommended agencies encouraged the public to ask for information informally first, rather than use the more expensive FoI process.

It also recommended a simpler fees system, noting that the current guide to processing charges was written 26 years ago and had not been updated.

He recommends that an FoI request be free if it takes less than five hours to process, $50 if processed in less than 10 hours, and attract an extra $30 an hour after that.

Professor McMillan also recommended charging a $50 application fee if someone didn't first try to access documents through other, less formal means.

''It's always a contest between balancing the cost to the agency and encouraging greater disclosure, but at the moment the balance isn't right.''

If the government accepted Professor McMillan's recommendations, he acknowledged it would require ''significant amendments'' to the existing Act.

Greens senator Lee Rhiannon warned yesterday against reinstating application fees, which both the Finance Department and the Resources Department had requested.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon's spokesman said the Government would consider the review's recommendations before responding.

''We need to make sure the system is fair, and allows individuals and families are getting cheap and quick access.''